2 die in flooded New York City basements during heavy rainstorm
NEW YORK– Two people died Thursday in flooded basements in New York City during a rainstorm that closed roads and caused airport delays, authorities said.
A dive team recovered the body of a 39-year-old man after firefighters received a call of a person trapped in the flooded basement of a three-story home in Brooklyn around 4:30 p.m., police said.
Video posted online showed firefighters carrying the victim down the street in calf-deep water.
In Manhattan, a 43-year-old man was found dead in the flooded basement boiler room of a building, police said. The cause of death was under investigation.
Some places around the city saw record rainfall. Preliminary reports showed that 1.8 inches (4.57 centimeters) of rain fell in Central Park on Thursday, which would surpass the record of 1.64 inches (4.17 centimeters) set for the park in 1917, the National Weather Service said. LaGuardia Airport recorded 1.97 inches (5 centimeters) of rain, which would break the 1955 record of 1.18 inches (3 centimeters) for that airport.
New York experienced hours of rain of varying intensity on Thursday leading up to the evening commute. Photos and videos posted on social media showed water rising up to car bumpers and pouring into subway stations.
“When you look at the amount of water that was flowing, our sewer systems are just not designed to handle that. It was raining constantly,” Mayor Eric Adams told radio station 1010 WINS.
Street flooding was very localized, turning some intersections with clogged pipes into pools deep enough to float cars, while leaving only modest puddles in subsequent blocks.
Falling tree branches damaged vehicles in some neighborhoods.
Authorities did not immediately release the names of the two men who died.
The Brooklyn man who died had entered the flooded basement of his apartment building while trying to save one of his dogs, a neighbor, Renée Phillips, told the New York Times.
The dangers that flash flooding can pose to residents of the city’s thousands of basement apartments became more evident in 2021, when heavy rains killed 11 people in those homes.
